A chancellor with the University of Wisconsin has been terminated for making explicit content for porn websites with his wife.
The Wisconsin State Journal identified the man as UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow, noting he was the longest-tenured chancellor in the school’s system and was planning to retire soon, the outlet reported Thursday.
Dr. Joe Gow, who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for 17 years, has been fired after the discovery that he and his wife have been making pornographic videos. https://t.co/jMse2uMTDm
— WBBM Newsradio (@WBBMNewsradio) December 28, 2023
Leaders with the Board of Regents voted unanimously on Wednesday to terminate his position and put him on administrative leave, the Journal report said, adding it was unclear if he violated any policies.
The Journal report continued:
“Upon my recommendation, the UW Board of Regents today terminated Dr. Joe Gow from his position as chancellor of UW-La Crosse effective immediately,” UW system President Jay Rothman said in a statement after the meeting. “In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.”
Rothman said he planned to file a complaint with Betsy Morgan, named interim chancellor at UW-La Crosse within minutes of the Regents’ decision, to review Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member. An outside law firm will also investigate Gow’s conduct.
According to WXOW, an account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is reportedly labeled “Sexy Healthy Cooking” and shows Gow and his wife.
The report said it “hints at explicit scenes on the websites Loyal Fans and OnlyFans.” The outlet also noted the couple reportedly published books about working in the “adult industry”:
[embedded content]
Per the Journal, Gow said he and his wife are grateful for their First Amendment freedom to create content that explores consensual adult sexuality. He then voiced concern over free speech issues.
“I’m very concerned that here’s an issue of free speech, and we’re seeing the Board of Regents not supporting the concept,” he said.
The outlet continued, “In December 2018, Gow was denied a pay raise, which 10 other chancellors received, after inviting a porn star to the UW-La Crosse campus as part of an inaugural free speech week event.”
According to a charity called Fight the New Drug, pornography can severely hurt a user’s brain, body, and quality of life.
“One of the most unfortunate byproducts of internet pornography is its crippling effects on men and women,” the website reads.
